Thermal comfort, physiological responses and performance of elderly during exposure to a moderate temperature drift

The objective of this research was to study the effects of ageing and a moderate temperature drift on human thermal comfort, physiological responses and performance. A climate room set-up with experimental subjects in the age 67-73 was used to examine the effect of a moderate temperature ramp. Eight subjects were exposed to two conditions: (1) a steady temperature corresponding with a neutral thermal sensation (control situation) and (2) a transient condition (a moderate temperature ramp). During the experiments both physiological responses and thermal sensation were measured Performance was assessed with a ‘Remote Performance Measurement’ (RPM) method. Based on the physiological and thermal sensation data, the temperature changes were significant and noticeable for the subjects. The measured thermal sensation was in general lower than the predicted thermal sensation. Besides, a significant correlation between the extent of vasomotion and thermal sensation was found.